Carpe Diem
by PacWoman
Summary: Everyone has a story to tell. A young prosecutor has quite the tale to tell of her days when she was a paralegal working for Miles Edgeworth and trying to pay for law school.
1. Prelude

_Prelude_

Generally I'm not one to want to give away my life story; I like to keep to myself most of the time. Sure, I like to throw out a few snaky comments every once and awhile and I'll tell stupid little anecdotes that will leave people laughing but I don't like to tell stories that are too personal. Personal is personal, you know?

I'm an attorney by trade; a prosecutor to be specific. I work for the District Attorney's office and I have been working there for almost eight years now. I started out working here as a paralegal when I was in law school and I switched to being a full-time prosecutor as soon as I passed the bar exam. (That was one hell of a two day test but I'm starting to get side-tracked.)

The reason why I'm going off on this mental tangent right now is that there is this new paralegal here at the office. She's a young, wide-eyed girl in law school---just like I was when I started out. I've spoken with her on many occasions and told her many of my little anecdotes (like the time I tried to parallel park and I ended up plowing into the judge's car and than I tried to put the car in reverse and I rammed into the DA's car.) The problem is that she keeps on coming back during my lunch break to hear _more _stories.

She just came back today and asked to hear a 'real' story that was 'personal'. The thing is, I don't really want to tell her my 'big story'. I mean, it's one hell of a story--it's one of those stories that involve triumph, loss, death, and a little bit of love. Ok, that's a little over-the-top and dramatic but it's a good story anyways. Yeah, I don't like sharing though.

I suppose there is nothing wrong with telling my big story; everyone needs to vent every once and awhile. She reminds me of myself too, a little bit. (If anyone else were that persistent to hear my stories I'd be weirded out. Since she's like me though, she gets a pass.) Besides, I have nothing to do for the rest of the day.

I call her in.

She steadily walks into the room. "Yes?" She asks.

"You wanna here my story?"

Her eyes widen. "Very much so."

"Then take a seat."

She sits down and leans forward.

"I take that as a yes." I pause for effect. "Well, it all started when I was a paralegal around your age…"

Note: Hey, it's been awhile since I've written anything for ffnet. Well, this is just a prelude. This part's a little dry, I'll admit. The next story is Remmy (the narrator) telling her story to her coworker. Generally I'm not a fan of OC stories but I want to write a different OC story. Thanks for reading!


	2. Work

_Work…_

I was running a little bit late for my first day of work. I'll admit, I overslept. Hey, when you're working _and _going to school you get a little bit busy and you don't get as much sleep as you need so you have a tendency to slap the 'snooze' button on your alarm clock a few times. Besides, I was a girl in my 20's; I needed my beauty rest.

I was only ten minutes late; I just assumed that my boss wouldn't mind.

I assumed wrong.

"Dina, you're ten minutes late!" A man barked. There was something about his voice; it sounded masculine but it wasn't exactly deep. It was very clear though and his shout made you feel a little bit on edge.

"Sorry, sir." I muttered. I hated being addressed by my last name. My full name is Remedios Dina. I go by Remmy though, as you should know by now. Dina just sounds so harsh to the ears. I really hate it when people call me Remmy Dina too. It sounds too close to 'remedial.'

Ok, back to the story.

The man then proceeded to yell at me about my punctuality. I think I was more 'fashionably late' but I kept my mouth shut. I know, I know, that's pretty hard to believe that I didn't make a snide comment. I figured I'd just let him rant and storm off. See? I used my head for once.

So, I vacantly stared at him until he did eventually storm off. He was pretty attractive and _really _easy to stare at. He had silver hair with just a tint of brown in it. His bangs, if you'd call them bangs, were arched and split in the middle and framed his porcelain face. The rest of his hair was slicked back. His features were perfectly formed and they seemed perfectly proportioned. He had a long, graceful neck with a cravat tied around it and he was dressed in a burgundy suit made out of very nice fabric. It looked like he had some muscles under his shirt too. Hey, a woman knows. His tall form was rather intimidating and he stood about two feet away from me with his arms crossed ranting at me and staring at me with his cold and piercing eyes. I'd say that his eyes were his one fault--they were too cold.

After he finished, I bowed my head letting my violet ringlets fall in front of my face. "I'm so sorry, sir." I muttered, not looking at him. I pretended to be shy and I forced my eyes to get all glassy-looking like I was about to cry. I eventually looked up--timing is everything--and I toyed with my hair as I said "I'm truly sorry, sir. It won't happen again…" in my most dainty voice while making eye contact.

Now, most men would say 'that's ok' and maybe blush a little. I have always been covered in the looks department and men can get a little bit bashful and apologetic when a pretty girl looks like she's about to cry.

That's what _most _men do anyways. This guy didn't do that at all. He just glared at me with his cold eyes and told me to get to work.

Crestfallen, I wandered over to my desk and tried to find my bearings--it was my first day after all. I wanted to know important things, like how the computer worked and if _Solitaire _was installed. I wasn't given any instructions yet so I figured that I'd get to know my desk and my co-workers first.

I saw a girl with strait brown hair tied back in a pony tail sitting in the desk closest to mine. She seemed really quiet--dressed in a brown sweater and a matching vest and nice dress pants. She quietly typed away at her computer and once and awhile she pushed her round glasses up higher on her nose.

"Psst!" I tried to get her attention. "Hey!" I said a little bit louder in a horse whisper.

The girl snapped out of daze. "Yes?" She asked.

"Who's _that _guy?" I pointed to the office that the attractive guy who yelled at me walked into.

"Him?" She paused. "That's Edgeworth. He's a prosecutor."

My eyes widened. "Edgeworth as in Miles Edgeworth? I've read about him in legal journals…" My voice trailed off. "He's supposedly brilliant. He seems rather stuck up though; I don't like him."

"I think that he's just very serious about his job." The woman commented as she typed away on her computer.

"Hey," I said. She ignored me. "Hey!" I shouted a little bit louder. She looked back at me. "I'm Remmy, by the way."

"I'm Penny, Penny Nichols." We shook hands.

"What's your story?"

"Mine?" She put her hand on her chest. "I'm just working as a temp here to pay off some of my student loans; I'm going to be leaving in a few days to work at Global Studios."

"Hey, going into the film industry?"

"Yes, it's always been a dream of mine. I can't believe that I'm going to be working on the set of _The Steel Samurai._"

"That's great! I'll watch that show from time to time on Saturday mornings; it's pretty good."

"Oh really?" A crisp voice said. I turned around and looked at the man from earlier--Edgeworth. He was looming ominously overhead with his arms folded and a smug expression planted on his face. "Perhaps you could have used that time to do something productive."

I really wanted to say something like '_perhaps you could use some of your productive time to stop being such an asshole' _but I didn't. I was hoping that my death glare said that for me.

Penny reverted back to her work.

"Dina, to my office. Now." Edgeworth snapped. He spun around on his heels and began to leave.

I sighed. He turned around and glared at me. I took it that he didn't like it when people showed 'disrespect' to him. If he was nice to me I'd be nice to him. Since he wasn't, I figured that I'd passively aggressively disrespect him. The cute act had no effect so I figured that I'd be passive aggressive. Just because. "Ok…" I muttered in a humdrum voice. I gradually strolled over to the office.

Well, I don't know quite how to describe his office other then that it was…fancy. It was a really nice office; polished light-wood floors, a giant book case covered the entire right wall and it was filled from top-to-bottom with files. His desk was really nice looking too and it was made of maple wood. There was a really fancy pink suit framed on the wall above a plush pink couch and a tea set near the back of the airy office.

"Nice office." I said, plopping myself on the couch.

"I didn't bring you here to engage in idle chatter." He poured himself a cup of tea. He looked sorta scary near the window. The morning light came pouring into the room and it gave him a mean-looking silhouette.

"I'll have some Earl Grey tea." I raised my index finger. He remained silent. I figured that he glared at me but I couldn't see because of the harsh light. I figured that it would be a good time to push his buttons but pretend to be absent minded and talk in a cheery voice. "Oh, you have a chess board? Do you want to play? I gotta warn you, I'm pretty good."

"Again, Dina, this isn't a social visit." He said through gritted teeth. He sat on his desk and folded his hands. The silhouette of him in the chair looked even scarier then the one of him standing. "I want to talk about your performance…"

"What about my performance? I haven't done anything."

"Precisely." He took a sip of his tea.

"You haven't told me to do anything yet."

"Well I'm telling you now." He grabbed a file of folders. "I want you to sort through this, ok? Write up a brief, and type up a memo." He tossed me a tape recorder. "This is what you're going to write for the memo."

"Aye aye capt'n!" I grabbed the files and briskly walked out of the office and over to my desk. It suddenly seemed far less impressive; the steel table and outdated computer just weren't as cool anymore.

I spent the rest of the day working. Well, I'll skip that part of the story because it was very boring. You're sitting here with me to get a break from work, not to hear all about it. I will tell you this though: Edgeworth was easy to work for on one occasion and one occasion only (other than that he was a total pain). It was when I typed up memos that he'd dictate. He talked really crisply and he was very to-the-point. He'd pile on the work though. Ah, I could hardly squeeze in time to talk around the water cooler or play solitaire. The worst thing is when I returned the work he didn't even thank me!

So that was how my first day went. I've been ranting for awhile. Why don't you go get some fresh air or something? Maybe get a cup of tea? If you do decide to get tea, could you bring me back a cup of Earl Grey? Thanks…

Note: Hey, I hope you like this story so far. I want Edgeworth and Remmy to have a different sort of relationship; not a romance (maybe later on) but a hate/hate relationship. Have you ever seen or read "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"? It's a great movie; I really want to read the book. Anyways, I want them to have a Nurse Ratchet/ R.P. McMurphy sort of relationship; a battle of whits. Except with more comedy thrown in there. Thanks for reading!


	3. Request

_Request_

Oh, so you're back? That's great. You didn't chose to get tea? That's ok, I'll get some on my way out.

So where was I? Oh yes, working for Edgeworth.

The first few weeks were _very _dull. All I did was file paper work, write briefs, and type up memos. It was awful! I got scolded a lot too. I really, really, wanted to quit that job but I didn't; I was in desperate need of the money and the job gave me experience. I did decide, however, that I was going to go over Edgeworth's head and talk to the chief prosecutor, Lana Skye, and ask to be assigned to another attorney. I survived a little over a month of working with Edgeworth and I didn't want to suffer through a second month.

When I entered into her dark and dismal office after work, I was a little bit on edge. (No pun intended). She sat at her mahogany desk and stared at her files. Her movements almost seemed robotic; she scanned documents, signed them, and put them aside. I felt a little bit nervous going to talk to her. I stood at the edge of her dimly-lit office and watched her work for a moment. I finally got the courage to knock on the door frame and get her attention. Her head shot up and she stared at me for a moment with her cold brown eyes--they were just as cold as Edgeworth's. She looked even scarier then Edgeworth because she was dressed in a brown military uniform complete with those fancy shoulder pads that people wear in the military. I think they're called epaulets.

My mouth went dry when I went to talk to her.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Um…I…" I stammered. "I'm a paralegal working for Miles Edgeworth and I would like to request a transfer to a different prosecutor." I spewed at once.

She gestured over to a chair that sat opposite from her desk. I reluctantly took a seat across from her.

"May I enquire why?" She asked.

"I don't like him. At all." Lana stared at me and it was like her eyes pierced through me.

"Not many people do." The stern woman finally spoke up.

"Yeah, he's kind of an ass." I said without thinking. After the words left my mouth, I realized that maybe I shouldn't have said that. I bit my lip and murmured an apology.

"There are many people who would agree with you." She said, ignoring my crude comment. Her facial expression didn't change at all. "Because of this, I must deny your request."

I hung my head.

"I'm sorry, Miss Dina."

"Ok…" I muttered.

"If you'll excuse me, I must pick up my sister." She put her files down and stood up in one fluid motion.

"Thank you for your time." I muttered. I stood up as well and left that dark and dismal room.

I decided to go home after that encounter. I was too broke to get a car so I decided to walk home. It was only a 20 minute walk so it was no big deal. Well, if it was raining it was a terrible ordeal but, most of the time, the weather was nice. When I got home, my roommate was sitting on the couch blasting music and painting her nails. That was Ann. Ann Arky She was a really interesting woman. She roomed with me because it was a nice alternative to a dorm at Ivy University. She was an art major in college and her parents split the rent with me in exchange that their daughter live here. Ann was cool though; I actually enjoyed her company, for the most part. She always had a story to tell. What I didn't enjoy was her blaring heavy metal music all the time. That just gave me a headache. She'd color her hair a lot too so sometimes the apartment smelt like bleach or whatever chemicals are in hair products.

When she saw me come home with a frustrated look plastered on my face, she turned down the music and looked at me.

"What's up?" She asked. Her pixie hair cut was colored electric blue today. It matched her lipstick.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "I hate my job."

"Well, I hate my boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "What did Moe do this time?"

"Ok," She set her nail polish down. "So today we're going out to lunch, right? He takes me out to this cheap restaurant, orders the most expensive thing on the menu, and makes _me _pay for it."

"Hey he's supposed to foot the bill; it's the gentlemanly thing to do!" I take a seat down on the chair across from the couch.

"It gets better. I didn't have my money on me because I expected _him _to pay for the meal. He then left the restaurant and I had to do dishes by myself to pay for the meal!"

"He left you to wash the dishes?" I rolled my eyes. Ann had a really bad taste in men.

"I'm not done yet. After two hours of work, I ran back to school to go to class. I thankfully made it in time. When I got out of class he was waiting for me and expected me to go out to dinner with him. Hah! What an idiot. After _that _ordeal?"

"You said no, right?" I _hoped _that she said no. That wasn't a guarantee though, knowing Anna. She's dated scummier guys before.

"Yeah, I said no." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I hardly know the guy!"

"You said no to that one too, right?"

"Of course I said no! He finally left after that."

"Wow, what an idiot!" I exclaimed. "You can do _so _much better then that."

"I know, I know." She waved her hands in a dismissive motion. "Did you get the transfer?"

I sighed. "No, I'm still stuck with Edgeworth. You wouldn't believe it though; the head prosecutor is even scarier then Edgeworth! She walks around in a military uniform and doesn't smile. At all. She's like a robot."

"It must be something about prosecutors. Hey, once you become a prosecutor, you can bring a good mood to the office."

I laughed. "Thanks. I think that's what the place needs."

The two of us chatted the night away. I finally fell asleep at around two AM; I decided to take the night off from studying. It wasn't very often the two of us got to chat with school and all. Besides, I was ahead when it came to work.

I was really, really tired when I woke up the next morning. I decided to just unplug my alarm clock and fall back asleep. When I woke up a second time, I looked at the alarm clock. It read nine AM. I was still groggy and that didn't really register to me so I closed my eyes. I then realized that I had to be _at work _at eight thirty! I bolted out of bed and grabbed a violet power-suit and a white silk camisole. I quickly got changed. I scavenged my room for a pair of tights. I slipped them on along with my high heels. I examined myself in the mirror; I was presentable. Good. I didn't shower or put on make-up but that was ok with me. I dashed out of the room.

Generally it took me twenty minutes to walk to work. I made it in nine. I ran the whole way there in heels. I still think that I deserve a medal for that. I made it to my office at 9:15. I was extremely winded and tired but I was there. I wiped the sweat from my brow, adjusted my suit, and plopped myself down on my chair.

"Dina!" Edgeworth barked from his office. I cursed under my breath.

"Yes?" I shouted. I really didn't want to get up; I was tired and my feet hurt.

"Do you mind coming in here?" He shouted.

I mustered all of the energy I had to stand up and limp inside of his office.

"What?" I hissed. He examined me from his desk. I knew that I looked really bad. I was all sweaty, my suit was uneven, my hair was a mess, and my face was very pale. Generally I look all lithe and full of life but not that day.

"You're forty-five minutes late." He said.

"I know…"

"Are you ill?"

"No. I just ran a little over a mile to get here in high heels. I'm a little bit hung-over too."

He cleared his throat and averted his eyes to his tea. "Very well then." He took a sip. "I spoke to Lana Skye this morning."

My heart sank. I thought this day couldn't get any worse. For a second, I thought that I was going to be ill. Hah! I thought that my face looked washed out before. I knew that it was a hell of a lot paler when Edgeworth dropped that bombshell.

"She says that you requested a transfer. Is that true?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah."

He put his tea down and grabbed a file. "Ok."

"That's all you're going to say? '_Ok_'?"

"What else do you want me to say?" He asked. He didn't even look at me when he asked that question. He just looked at his files.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to quit working here?"

"No, I need the money." I confessed. "That's the _only_ reason why I'm working here."

"There is a stack of paperwork for you to do right here." He gestured to the papers on his desk.

I silently took the papers on his desk and marched out to my desk. I worked for the rest of the day and I decided to splurge on a cab to go home; my feet hurt too much to walk home. Besides, I already had my exercise for the day.

I was very relieved to come home to my apartment. I swung open my apartment door and took a step in.

"Ann you wouldn't believe--" I froze mid sentence and a feeling of horror overcame me. Ann's body was sprawled across the floor in a pool of blood. I instinctively ran over to treat her. I knelt down in her blood and held her in my arms. "Ann? Annie?" I shook her.

No response.

I cradled her head. There was a gunshot wound right between her eyes. The feeling of sheer horror overcame me. I dropped her body, shot up, and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Ann was dead.

Note: I hope that you like the story so far. Thanks for reading!


	4. Murder

_Murder _

I was in horror the first few moments of seeing Ann's body. I had no idea of what to do. I knew what I was _supposed _to do--I was supposed to call the police. I was too much in horror to mobilize myself.

After what seemed like hours but was really only minutes, I wiped the blood off my hands and onto my skirt. I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 with my shaky hands.

"Hello, 911, what's your emergency?" The woman asked. Her voice was so calm and steady.

I was hyperventilating at that point and I could hardly form coherent sentences. "Shit! My roommate…she's….she's…" I burst into tears.

"911, what's your emergency?" She repeated in a rather curt tone.

"Don't take that tone with me; my roommate is dead!" I screeched.

"We'll send over an ambulance right away, ma'am."

"Ok…" I said. I started to hyperventilate again. I decided to turn off the phone and wait in a corner away from all of the blood. I couldn't get it off my body though; it was all over my violet skirt and the bottom of my shoes. The ambulance eventually arrived along with the police.

I was rather disoriented that that time. I do remember the paramedics putting Ann on a stretcher with her body and head covered in a tarp. Everything happened in a blur. Next thing that I knew I was being handcuffed and brought over to the police station. I was still covered in blood. They put me in this dismal cell with a security guard near the door. I really, really wanted a change of cloths but they didn't give me any. I was stuck in that awful blood-stained suit. To this day I still don't like to wear violet.

I tried to ask the security guard what was going on but he wouldn't answer me. He just stared strait ahead and looked at the wall.

The cold seemed to stab through me. Would it kill them to turn up the heat a little bit? I tried to make myself comfortable and sleep by taking off my jacket and using it as a blanket but it just didn't seem to work. The bed was too hard and, whenever I started to doze off, the image of Ann covered in blood would pop into my mind and I'd wake up in a cold sweat.

That night was one of the longest night of my life. I don't think that I fell asleep until four AM. I felt all achy when I 'woke up' just a few hours later. I staggered over to a mirror and took a long look at myself. Dark circles hung under my tired blue eyes and I looked so washed out--even my once-coral lips were pale. The bones in my face seemed to jut out; I looked like a skeleton. There were even splotches of dried up blood on my face and violet hair. I tried to wash them off and I got most of them.

A few minutes later a visitor arrived. I didn't know what to think of company; I didn't want to been seen in this condition but, at the same time, I really wanted to interact with a living, breathing, human being. (I was convinced that the security guard wasn't human.)

This spikey-haired man clad in a bright blue suit walked into the visitor's room. A young in acolyte robes skipped behind him. "Nick, is this the woman?" The girl asked.

The man grinned sheepishly and ran his fingers through his pointy black hair. "I think so, Maya."

I assumed that they were talking about me so I staggered over to the duo.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm Phoenix Wright and I'm an attorney." The man said as he flashed the small gold badge on his lapel. "This is Maya Fey."

"Hi!" The girl waved enthusiastically.

"I'm Remmy."

"We're here to represent you!" The woman, Maya, chirped.

"You are…?" I asked. "I don't remember looking for an attorney…"

"No, the victim's mother hired me to represent you. She believes that you are innocent." Phoenix said.

"You said that your name was Phoenix Wright, huh?" I asked. I thought that I had a slight idea of who he was.

"Yup! That's my name."

"Did you, perhaps, beat Edgeworth in court the other week? It was the case of Mia Fey's murder…" Maya's face dropped and she averted her eyes to the ground. I then remembered that her sister was the victim and she was the suspect. "Oh." That's all I could think of saying. "I'm sorry."

Maya forced a smile. "That's the one-and-only Nick!"

I smiled and started to laugh. I think that the sleep deprivation was starting to get to me. Do you ever get so tired that you start to laugh at nothing? That's what I was going through. "Wow, Edgeworth was pissed after he lost to you. He sulked around the office for a week." I cackled again. "Of course _I _had to deal with his bad mood but he treats me like crap anyways. You should have seen his face though…" I snorted. "Woops, I snorted."

Maya and Phoenix looked at each other.

I finally began to calm down. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You probably want to ask questions about the murder, right?"

"Yes, could you tell us what happened?" The man asked.

I told him what I told you. I wanted to omit certain parts with all the gore but it could have helped him with his case. So, I explained the story to him; how I came home at five-thirty and saw a bloody Ann sprawled out in a contorted position near the coffee table. I explained how I ran to her and picked her up and realized that she was shot in the head. I didn't omit the blood or the gore and I explained that I was really frantic and I didn't call the police until five-forty.

Phoenix was silent. He placed his hand under his chin and he looked like he was deep in thought.

"Is there anyone who can confirm your story?" He asked.

"I work for Miles Edgeworth at the prosecutor's office. I stayed until five-fifteen and he was still there when I left. The cabbie can confirm my story too."

"Edgeworth…?" Maya asked. She looked at Phoenix. He smiled sheepishly again.

"Do you know him?" I asked.

"We both do." Maya said.

"Is he always such a jerk?" I couldn't help but to ask; I had to know.

"He wasn't always like that." Phoenix said. He looked a little bit glum.

I couldn't help but to laugh. I _really _didn't buy that.

"Well, is he always a jerk _now_?" I asked.

Phoenix gave me that sheepish grin again. "I plead the fifth on that one."

I thought so. I then remembered that I really, really wanted a change of clothes and maybe a blanket.

"You guys are going to be in my apartment to investigate, right?"

"Of course!" Maya clapped her hands together.

"Do you mind picking up a change of clothes at my apartment?" I gestured to my bloody suit. "Maybe a blanket too?"

"It is a crime scene so I don't know if I'll be able to. I'll try though." Phoenix said. "I'll probably be back to visit you soon too. First I should try to find that taxi driver."

"Ok Nick! Let's go!" Maya spun around on her heals and raised her hands up in the air. Phoenix began to walk out of the room and Maya followed him. I could catch the tail end of their conversation as they left the room. "Can we get burgers on the way?" Maya asked.

I heard Phoenix laugh. "Maybe."

The door closed behind them and I was alone again. My temporary good mood was gone and I laid down on the bed and tried to take a nap. I rested peacefully for a few hours and then I woke up. It started to hit me then; Ann was dead. She was really gone. I wept bitterly. I realized that, if I ever got out of here, I'd have to go back to my empty apartment and live alone again. I closed my eyes and I tried to envision her smiling face and her multi-colored hair. I couldn't though. All I could see was the bullet hole on her head and her mouth opened in shock.

Someone was talking outside my small cell. I sat up and wiped the tears from my eyes. They were still red from crying though. I didn't want Phoenix or Maya to see me in such a bad state but I really had no choice.

"Did you find anything ou--" My mouth suddenly went dry and I realized that it wasn't Phoenix or Maya who was visiting me.

It was Miles Edgeworth.

Note: That's all I have for now. Thanks for reading!


	5. Before the Case

_Before the Case_

I was confused about a lot of things that day. One thing that I knew for certain was that I did _not _want Edgeworth to be there. I really wondered why he was there too.

He entered the room and stood tentatively near the door. I wondered if I should speak first of wait for him to make the first move. He looked like he was having the same dilemma.

I felt a lump in my throat. I just finished crying and the thought of Edgeworth prosecuting me made me want to cry again. He was called the 'Demon Prosecutor' for a reason; he didn't lose a case during his first four years as a prosecutor. Granted, he had just lost to Phoenix Wright, my attorney, but he was still one of the best prosecutors around. He may have been a miserable person but he was very good at what he does. Very good. I had to know if he was prosecuting me.

"Are you…" Tears were starting to burn in my eyes. I tilted my head upwards and took a deep breath. Good, my tears were gone. "Prosecuting me?" I finished.

The corners of his mouth turned up. He _smirked. _Here I was on the verge of tears and he was smirking!

"No, I'm not." He looked serious again.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Winston Payne got assigned to your case." I breathed a deeper sigh of relief. Maybe I wouldn't go to jail after all.

"I feel so much better…" I confessed. "I was worried that you got assigned to my case."

"Oh, you were that worried that I would have to prosecute you?" Again, his smirk returned. Was he toying with me?

"Well, yeah. You may have a mean disposition but you're good at your job. Even though you lost to Phoenix Wright that one time, you still had a four-year winning streak." I sat down and crossed my legs. "Let me put it to you this way: if you prosecuted me, odds are that I would be put to death or thrown in jail. Even though Phoenix Wright is my attorney."

I just _had _to put that in there. Now I was smirking. I couldn't hide the fact that the corners of my mouth were upturned. For once I might have had the upper-hand in our conversation. Revenge is sweet, you know?

He scowled. "Phoenix Wright is defending you? All he does is bluff his way through his cases. Why would you want _him _to defend you?"

"Oh, well, he was good enough to beat you, wasn't he?"

Edgeworth was silent. He pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow.

"You like to rub salt in my wounds, don't you?"

"Consider it revenge for being a brutal boss." I was now outright grinning. That conversation could have lead to me being fired but I really didn't care.

"I felt that I have been treating you rather well."

"No you haven't! All you've done was yell at me and assign me work."

"I'm your boss, what do you expect?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it. How was I supposed to respond to that?

"You could be a _little _nicer? Say please and thank you ever once and awhile? Call me by my first name or at least Miss Dina. Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"

He was silent. He looked almost as if he was in pain. Maybe it actually would kill him to say thank you. I always thought that a steak in the heart would kill him but I guess manners did the trick. It could have been the fact that I mentioned his parents too. I'd have to save that for future reference.

"Anyways," I continued. I decided to have some mercy on him and change the subject. "What brings you here?"

"When you open up the news paper and see your paralegal on the front page and that she's up for murder, you can get a little curious. I decided to investigate during my lunch break." He explained.

I stood up and spread my arms out. "Well, here I am."

"Are you going to appear in court in that outfit?" He asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"No, I asked Maya to pick up a change of clothes."

"Good, the judge probably wouldn't look too favorably on your current attire." Edgeworth sat down. I decided to follow. I really was wondering why he was helping me.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked. "I thought that you hated all criminals."

"I do hate criminals. I just know, for a fact, that you're not guilty." He smiled wryly.

"How?" I leaned forward.

"Firstly, you were at the office all day and you didn't leave until five fifteen--I saw you leave. The murder took place at five ten. It would have been impossible for you to do the deed. Also, you're too poor to hire an assassin so there is no possible way that you could be the killer. So, I just pity you and your current situation."

"Pity, huh?" I certainly didn't want to be pitied. I tried not to look glum and change the conversation. "Are you willing to testify that in court tomorrow?"

"Are you really going to make me testify on your--and Wright's--behalf?" He asked.

I nodded my head. "Yeah."

"Well the answer is no." He turned around to leave. "Good day, Dina." He picked up his brief case and walked out the room. At first I was stunned and then I became angry.

"Wait!" I called after him. I didn't get a response. "I'll subpoena your ass to court tomorrow! You hear me?" Still, no response. I slammed on the visitor's glass. "YOU HEAR ME?" I shouted. The guard even flinched a little bit. I guess that disproved my robot theory. "EDGEWORTH!" I gave one last futile shout. He was gone.

Phoenix and Maya re-entered the room. They both looked stunned. "What's going on?" Phoenix asked. "What's with the shouting?"

I let out a frustrated grunt. "Edgeworth refuses to testify tomorrow." I took a seat on my bed, folded my hands, and let out a sigh.

"We brought clothes for you." Maya chirped. She handed me a bag that had close and some basic hygiene items in it.

I pulled a white pant-suit out of the bag and let out a gasp. "Thank you Maya; just what I needed!"

"Edgeworth won't testify?" Phoenix asked. "Why?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing it's because he has a grudge against you and wants to see you lose a case." I answered, sniffing my clothes. They smelt so clean and fresh. The scent of floral laundry detergent was a little bit overbearing but it's better then the scent of blood. I continued to rummage through the bag.

"Edgeworth…" Phoenix looked down towards the ground.

"Oh Maya, you brought soap, shampoo, and a razor!" I smiled. The security guard's eyes widened and he walked over to me.

"I'll have to take this, ma'am." He grabbed my razor.

"But you don't want me to have hairy legs tomorrow, do you?" He blushed slightly. "Can you see if I can get permission to get one or have one given to me or…something. I gotta shave tomorrow."

"I'll see what I can do."

"And I'll see what I can do tomorrow." Phoenix said. "I'll try to talk to Edgeworth and arrange for him to come. Is there anything else you know that could help us with the case?" He asked.

I paused. Now that he mentioned it… "Yes, I think I know who the murderer is."

Both his and Maya's eyes widened. "Who?" they asked simultaneously.

"Moe. Moe Hawk. He was Annie's boyfriend. She told me the night before she was murdered that he was acting strange. He took her out to lunch, made her foot the bill and do dishes for a few hours, ditched her, came back, and proposed to her after her classes were over. Since he's so weird. I think that he did it."

"Unfortunately, you don't have any concrete proof." Phoenix said.

"Just collect stuff at the crime scene. Something must lead to him at the apartment. Does he have prints anywhere? On the weapon?"

"I can tell you that the murder weapon has no prints on it. I don't know if anything at the crime scene traces back to him though." Phoenix said confidently.

"No prints?" I asked.

"No prints."

"Do you mind checking the crime scene one more time. I'm sure that he's the killer. There has to be something there to prove it." I laid my suit down on the bed and continued to look through the bag. "Maya, you brought me pajamas too? Thanks!"

"No problem." She smiled.

"I appreciate what you two are doing for me. I suppose that I'll see you in court tomorrow."

"See you then, we won't let you down!" Maya cheered.

I hoped not.

A/N: I hope that I didn't make Edgeworth too out of character for this one. I wanted to portray how he hates criminals but has common sense and has a bit of a grudge against Phoenix. Also, this all takes place before the third case (Steel Samurai) in the first game. Thanks for reading!


	6. Mess Up

_Mess Up_

So you're back to hear more, huh? Did you finish all your work? Oh, you did. Well, that's good. So where was I?

Oh yes, I left off when Maya and Phoenix left. That night was pretty uneventful. The next day I had court; that's when the real 'fun' started.

I was so nervous sitting in the defense lobby. I had great faith in Phoenix and an air-tight alibi but murder cases are generally pretty unpredictable and I had no idea what the prosecution had up its sleeve--even if the prosecutor was Winston Payne. Generally I love an unpredictable case but it's not as fun when you're the defendant.

The court started at ten. Everyone stood up when the judge entered and sat down when prompted. Payne began with his opening remarks.

"Your honor, the defendant is clearly guilty and the prosecution has evidence to support this claim. There were no signs of breaking-and-entry and only two people have keys to the house--the victim and the defendant. Here are the documents from the locksmith to prove it." He handed Phoenix and the judge a copy of a piece of paper. That was true; the two of us were the only ones with keys.

"And their apartment is too high for a person to climb in through the window. The murder weapon is missing and need I remind you, Your Honor, that the defendant's blood-stained footprints are all around the apartment. There is a long gap between when the defendant supposedly 'found the body' and when she called the police. Here is a printed record of a conversation she had with the police." Again, he handed Phoenix and the judge a piece of paper. "Here are pictures of the defendant with the victim's blood on her clothes and the bloody apartment that they shared.

"I would like to further note that the murder weapon has yet to have been discovered. With all of the information available, it is logical to conclude that Remedios Dina murdered Ann Arky. The prosecution would like to call Miles Edgeworth to the stand."

I felt my body tense. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. I drew my full attention to Edgeworth as he walked over to the stand in front of the judge's seat. I tried to read his face but I didn't have much luck. His eyebrows were raised slightly and he walked with such poise and dignity as he took the stand. He looked almost regal dressed in his red suit standing up against the ash wood rail. Edgeworth loosely gripped the rail and he looked at Payne, then Maya, then me, and finally his gaze settled on Phoenix. His eyebrows lowered, his teeth clenched, and Edgeworth stared straight ahead.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation." Payne said.

"Miles Edgeworth, prosecutor." He answered in a clear voice that almost sounded bored.

"May you please describe what happened on the night of the murder?" Payne asked.

"I was working in my office that day as normal. I left at five-thirty. Before that time, I saw the defendant leave her office. I do not know the exact time though. I do not know what the defendant did after leaving the office."

Those words seemed to linger in my mind: _I do not know the exact time though. _

Liar. He told me yesterday that he saw me leave at five-fifteen. I looked at Phoenix and then I looked back at Edgeworth. He seemed so calm. I shot him a pleading glance. He just seemed to ignore it.

Phoenix raised his index finger and held it below his chin as he looked at the sky. "So you said you left at five-thirty."

"Yes, that's correct." Edgeworth replied.

"Do you have any proof of this? How do you know you left at five-thirty?"

"I remember leaving at five-thirty because someone called at that time right before I was about to leave."

"So you can remember when you left but not when your paralegal left?"

"I am not in charge of Dina's affairs." He scowled.

"You say that someone called you right before you left?" Phoenix asked. "Does the phone record what times people call into the office?" He asked.

"It does."

"Do a lot of people call the office?" He asked. I rolled my eyes; I knew the answer to _that _question.

"Yes, they do."

"Edgeworth, ordinarily would Dina answer the phones and then forward the call to you, if necessary?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes, she would."

"So would the last call that Dina picked up be a good land mark of what time she left?"

"Yes, it would."

"Your Honor, I would like to request a twenty-minute recess while the court looks at Edgeworth's office phone records."

The judge blinked. "Well I don't see why not." He hammered on the gavel. "Court adjourns at ten-thirty. You have twenty minutes."

"Thank you, your honor." Phoenix bowed his spiky head.

Murmurs filled the court room and Edgeworth descended off the witness stand. He seemed to look less regal and more frail and irritated. He looked at Phoenix and I with a look of contempt and turned to leave. I know that I should have stayed with Phoenix and talked with him but I had to talk to Edgeworth.

"Edgeworth!" I shouted from across the court room. He turned to look at me through his sad eyes and stopped walking. My legs managed to swiftly take me across the court room. Unfortunately, they took me across too quickly and didn't give my mind a chance to catch up.

I stood right next to him and he looked down at me.

"Edgeworth…um…why? I…I…" I had trouble forming an articulate sentence.

His face hardened. "You'll understand some day."

And then he left.


End file.
